Lipoplasty is a medical procedure that involves removal of adipose tissue from a human patient. There are several different types of lipoplasty procedures that have particular steps for making the removal of the adipose tissue more efficient, effective, or safe. For example, ultrasonic assisted lipoplasty (UAL) utilizes ultrasonic energy. In UAL, a surgical site, with adipose tissue, is first infiltrated with an infiltrate solution. After infiltration, ultrasonic energy is applied to the surgical site using a probe that conducts ultrasonic energy. After the ultrasonic energy has been applied to the surgical site, the adipose tissue is then aspirated (removed using a vacuum).
Power assisted lipoplasty is another type of lipoplasty procedure. Power assisted lipoplasty procedures involve the use of mechanical movement during aspiration of adipose tissue from a surgical site. Power assisted lipoplasty may be combined in some cases with aspects of UAL. Power assisted lipoplasty is typically performed using a cannula that moves during aspiration. For example, MicroAire, of Charlottesville, Va. manufactures a device for use in power assisted lipoplasty. The MicroAire device is a cannula that moves back and forth along a center axis of the cannula, i.e., with a “jack hammer” like movement, during aspiration. Such devices are not ideal because inexperienced users may puncture muscle tissue or skin if they move the cannula too close to the skin layer or muscle layer.
Another company Kolster Methods Inc., (KMI) of Corona, Calif. sells a cannula for use in power assisted lipoplasty that rotates about the center axis of the cannula. This is an improvement because the movement is angular instead of axial. In the device that KMI sells, the flow path of adipose tissue being aspirated passes through the motor. The device must be autoclaved after each use. The motor in the KMI device degrades in the autoclave and thus cannot be used for very many procedures as a result of premature failure. KMI also owns U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,638,238 and 6,875,207 that generally describe a device that is powered by vacuum energy, the vacuum also being used to aspirate tissue. What is needed is a device that provides movement during aspiration of adipose tissue from a surgical site but does not have axial movement and may be used a relatively large number of times.